The Education of an Ophthalmologist

Doctors are notorious for having one of the most intense educations out of all professionals. Starting with an undergraduate degree in pre-medicine or science, they are required to not only complete hard pre-requisite courses, but complete them with extremely high grades. During their undergraduate degree they also have to complete a certain amount of volunteer hours working with a doctor, complete a test (the MCAT) in order to apply to medical school, and a bunch of other extracurricular activities. After they apply to a medical school, they will go on many interviews to find out which med school they get into. Once they start medical school, they will have two years of more intense science courses and two years of shadowing physicians in many different fields, including ophthalmology.

After graduating from medical school, they will finish taking their boards (a series of three tests that determine these doctors’ ability to practice medicine). Once they pass their boards, these almost doctors will go to an internship (a half year or a year) and then proceed to a residency option of their choice, lasting 3 years for an ophthalmology program. Once in their residency, they will practice treating and diagnosing ailments with the help of doctors who have worked in ophthalmology for many years. They will also learn about surgeries for certain eye illnesses and injuries. After they finish their residency, they can start working as an official ophthalmologist, whether in a hospital, an office, or in their own practice.